Your COMPLETE Guide to La Ruta del Cares, Asturias

La Ruta del Cares – What to Expect

La Ruta del Cares, Asturias, is a full-day hike, going from Poncebos to Caín de Valdeón and then back to Poncebos. It’s a loop, which means you’ll be hiking back on the same trail you already took on the way in.

The village of Caín isn’t anything special: it’s a nice mountain village, but it’s very small.

What’s special, though, is the hike itself: you’re in for absolutely epic views the whole time, so much that on the hike I was constantly smiling from ear to ear (and yelling “fuckkkkk” each time I would turn a corner and get another crazy view ahaha). Definitely one of the best hikes in Asturias.

Here’s the profil of the hike:

Hike Ruta del Cares

This hike is often described as “easy” and honestly I have no idea why.

First, the time: the hike is a loop, so once you get to Cain, you’ll have to hike all the way back to Poncebos. With about 3h30 needed to reach Cain, we’re looking at a 8h hike including lunch break. The duration in itself makes it a challenging hike if you’re not used to walking such long distances.

Second, the elevation: the hike starts with a steep climb, and it can feel discouraging right from the start; however after the first 2kms it will be mostly flat to Cain.

It’s not a hard hike either, but make sure to start early to have enough time and wear proper hiking gear.

You’ll find below the map of the hike:

You can download the GPX file by clicking on the image above if you want to use in your GPS app/smartwatch.

How to Get to Ruta del Cares Asturias

To hike the Ruta del Cares, you need to get to Poncebos. You can either get there with a car, or by bus.

Get to Ruta del Cares by Car

The best option is to drive directly to Poncebos, where the hike begins.

From Covadonga: 45mn

From Santander: 1h30

When you get to Poncebos from the north, you have 2 options:

• turn left at the Funicular de Bulnes and park on the Funicular parking – 20 minutes walk to the start of the hike
• keep going straight and follow the road along the river all the way to the information booth – right next to the start of the hike

Parking spots on the main road next to the river are limited, but they are the best as you will be directly where the hike begins.

I was there in August, and found a parking spot right next to the hike 2 times, once at 10am and once at 2pm, so it’s definitely possible to find a spot!

Please note that during summer, all parking spots might be taken, and park workers will be posted on the road in front of Poncebos to try to redirect you to other parkings in the area, such as the Ovar parking, 43mn walk from the start of the hike. From the Ovar parking, you can take a bus to the funicular car park (see below).

Even then, you can still go to Poncebos; that’s what we did. We were lucky, because we still found a spot right next to the hike.

My advice if you get to Poncebos and officials are trying to redirect you is to still go through to Poncebos all the way to the hike and look for a spot, you might find one! If you don’t, simply drive back to the Ovar parking (5mn drive).

Get to Ruta del Cares by Bus

During summer, you’ll be able to reach Poncebos via bus from Arenas de Cabrales.

The buses only run from July 13th to September 1st, and are quite limited.

Go to Alsa.es; put “Arenas de Cabrales” as starting point and “Poncebos” as destination.

Time: 15 minutes

Price: 1,55€ one-way

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The Ruta del Cares starts right after the Bar Poncebos. From the bar, keep walking on the main road, with the river to your left. After 10 minutes, you will see to your left a bridge (Puente La Jaya) and a stone hut; if you go down to the hut and cross the bridge, you will start the hike to Bulnes.

Keep walking on the main road and after 1 minute you will reach an information booth with signs. On your right will be the start of the Cares trail, starting right away with a steep climb.

Hiking from Poncebos to Cain – Ruta del Cares

We knew the Ruta del Cares was one of the longest hikes in Picos de Europa, and we wanted to start with easier hikes first.

On our first day in Asturias, we hiked from Poncebos to Bulnes (1h30), and slept in Bulnes.

On the second day, we hiked from Bulnes to Sotres and back to Bulnes (6h), and slept in Bulnes.

On the third day, we planned an easy day without too much hiking, in order to rest and prepare for the Cares Gorge walk. We took the funicular down to Poncebos from Bulnes, then drove to the famous Fuente Dé funicular to enjoy the views without hiking all the way to the top.

On our 4th day, we were ready to take on the Ruta del Cares.

The First Climb

The hike begins with a steep climb on a narrow stone path, that goes on for about 2km (1.2 miles). Right from the start, we got epic views of the mountains around, and I was sure it was going to be worth the climb. My calves were on fire, as usual when starting a hike, but the hike isn’t that difficult – I saw plenty of families with kids on the trail.

Can you spot the hikers at the bottom?

We quickly reached the first stop in under 30 minutes – 2 stone mountain huts in ruins. I climbed the stairs leading to the main hut, and explored inside, though there wasn’t much to see in there.

However there was one thing that was a hell of a lot more interesting: mountain goats on the side of the trail, hiding from the harsh midday sun under a tree. I got close to them slowly not to stress them, but it turned out they couldn’t care less about me, or about anyone else for that matter.

They just stayed there, happy to share their space with a stranger like me for a while.

I stayed for around 10 minutes with my new friends, then made my way to the rest of the climb, to reach the highest point of the hike. After that point, it’s mostly flat for the rest of the hike all the way to Cain.

Highest Point of the Cares Trail

When we reached the top, we were greeted with incredible views over the Garganta del Cares, all the way down in the valley to the river Rio Cares. We were also greeted by the locals -the mountain goats- who were chilling right next to the trail, completely ignoring all the hikers around and going about their daily lives.

This is one thing I absolutely loved about Asturias: on all of the hikes I went on, I was surrounded by animals -cows, goats, horses, sheeps- who were not afraid and just chilled there. It was the same in Somiedo with all the cows.

We took off our bags, and sat there on the rocks on the edge of the mountains, surrounded by the goats. It was the perfect place to have lunch, in nature.

Hiking Down to Caín

After more than 1 hour spent eating my sandwich, taking photos of goats and enjoying the view, it was time to start the hike down to Cain.

Right after the first climb, the path goes down on the other side of the mountain, towards Cain. It only goes down for a short bit, then it’s mostly flat. At the beginning of the walk down, though, there is one massive rock sticking out above the valley – as soon as I saw it, I knew I had to climb it!

We went down that bend in the path, around the rock sticking out with a tree on top as you can see on the image above, and then the profile of the hike changed.

Hiking on the Side of the Mountain

During the climb down, I met an old couple that was turning back because the lady couldn’t handle the hike – too much vertigo! I wasn’t sure what caused it at that point.

As I kept walking, I reached the point where the hike changed, and I saw in front of me what was causing the vertigo. The hiking trail was carved on the side of the mountain, and there was no fences nor railing keeping you away from the edge.

I loved this part of the hike, where the views are simply amazing – stunning mountains on the side, and crazy path carved in the mountain in front of you.

At several points, the trail follows a U-shape along the side of the mountain. Sometimes the trail itself is enough to walk around, sometimes a stone bridge is added for stability.

Getting Close to Caín

As we were getting closer and closer to Caín, the village at the end of the Ruta del Cares, the landscape was changing more and more. The hard rocks and barren landscape were giving way to vibrant greens and blues, with the lush vegetation growing thanks to the river below.

We then reached the last part of the hike, where we went inside the mountains in several tunnels, most of them with water leaking from the ceiling, as we were getting closer to the Cares river.

Arriving to Caín

After walking through the mountain in tunnels, we got out in the open, and had to climb a last flight of stairs. I climbed the stairs to go up on the dam, and was greeted with a view of the first house since Poncebos:

There were a few people on the side of the river there, sat on the rocks, and enjoying a picnic out in nature. I would have loved to stop there and chill too, but we were getting short on time and had to return to Poncebos soon before the night.

We crossed the bridge over the Cares river, and got to the end of the Ruta del Cares: Caín de Valdeón. We walked around the village for around 10 minutes (it’s a very small village), then sat down at the terrace of a restaurant to enjoy a cold drink and fuel up with an energy bar before taking on the return to Poncebos.

The Return Hike to Poncebos

Since we started the hike pretty late in the day (around 10:30am), and took so much time on the first part of the hike to Caín (that’s what happens when I have my camera out and the views are too epic…), it was already 4pm when we were resting in Caín and we had to hurry up to go back to make it before the night.

The Ruta del Cares hike is a loop, so I was expecting the return to be less exciting than the way in – boy was I wrong.

First, you get a different view: rather than seeing the valley down to Caín, you see the path going up to Poncebos with massive mountains in the background.

Second, because it was late afternoon, there was almost no one left on the trail. It felt so different than in the morning, where there were a lot of hikers and families around.

And third, the weather. Picos de Europa is pretty close to the sea, and in the afternoon the wind and humidity from the coast come in and drastically change the weather. While it was all hot & sunny with a blue sky in the morning, it was now starting to be cold & grey with huge storm clouds rolling in.

These 3 factors made for a very different experience on the return hike to Poncebos. We were hiking fast with my friend Laurent, without any breaks, almost running at some points, and I was just too excited to see the landscape change before my eyes, turning into dramatic scenes straight out of a movie.

Here are a few photos of the rest of the hike:

Tips for Planning Your Cares Gorge Walk

If you’ve gotten this far, chances are pretty high that you are seriously considering hiking the Ruta del Cares.

You’ll find below a few tips to help you plan your hike, and to make sure you have the best experience you can while you’re out there:

• plan at least 8 hours for the hike
• start early morning if you want to be sure to have a parking spot next to the start of the hike
• the goats are friendly but they remain wild animals; don’t bother them
• there is only one water source on the trail, close to Caín; pack at least 1.5L per person especially if you walk under the blazing sun
• keep in mind the changing weather, and pack a jacket as it gets cold late afternoon
• the Ruta del Cares vertigo is real, and if you’re highly prone to vertigo, you might not be able to go all the way to Caín.

Where to Stay near Ruta del Cares Picos de Europa

If you plan to hike the Ruta del Cares, Picos de Europa, you have several options for where to stay:

• I slept in Arenas de Cabrales, which is the main village right above Poncebos, in the Hotel Picos de Europa.

The room is pretty cozy, everything is super clean, and you’ll even have a pool to relax after a long day of hiking!

• If you start the hike from Poncebos, check out the Hostal Poncebos.

It’s the highest rated hotel in the area, and the best home base for the hikes in Picos de Europa. The prices are so low it’s hard to beat, and breakfast is included too! It gets booked out pretty quick, so make sure to secure your spot fast.

Visit Spain

Planning a trip to Asturias and Spain? You can find below several other articles about this wonderful part of the world to help you plan your trip:

Asturias Guides:

Hike to Lago del Valle, the hidden gem of Asturias

Explore the beach town of Ribadesella

The Best Beaches in Asturias, Spain

Spain Guides:

Best Sunrise Spot in Mallorca

Best Daytrips from Madrid

Discover Toledo, the City of 3 Cultures

I hope you enjoy your trip to Asturias and to Spain!

If you have any questions, let me know in the comments below, I always reply.